Her one-time deputy at the Department for International Development, George Foulkes, said: "This is the latest outburst from Clare ... there has been a pattern, since she ceased being a minister, of constant attacks on the Labour government and particularly on Tony Blair.

"She has got a clear political agenda here and this is just the latest part of it."

Helen Liddell, a former Scotland secretary, said Ms Short's claims were "completely unsubstantiated". She said: "I think a period of silence from Clare might be appreciated. It is becoming increasingly difficult to work out where Clare is coming from. This is a pattern of behaviour that really is confounding her friends and colleagues, and I don't think it is doing the country any good."

Sir Crispin Tickell, former British ambassador to the UN, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "My conscience is quite clear about these matters and I would not think it necessarily a bad thing at all if it is in the national interest."

What I notice here is that none of these people is saying that it isn't true. The closest they come is when Ms. Liddell says that the claims are "completely unsubstantiated" which simply means there isn't any evidence to prove them (or disprove them).

Sir Crispin Tickell even appears to confirm the veracity of Ms. Short's claims in the final quote - or at least indicate that he finds her claims plausible.